Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 331 The real murderer
"……………………"

The atmosphere in the room froze instantly upon hearing Li Wei's question.

Corent stared at Levi, his hands clenching slightly.

"My...footprints?"

“That’s right. I asked other people, and some said that at the time of the incident, they saw you walk backstage from the east side of the stage and stay at the prop lift for a long time. And I also found your footprints there. How do you explain that?”

Li Wei smiled, staring intently at Corent, awaiting his answer. He possessed the ability of photographic memory; during his backstage investigation, Li Wei had memorized all the footprints near the crime scene. However, he was too lazy to check them one by one like the police—it was tiring and time-consuming, and besides, he was alone, making the process slow…

So Li Wei used it as reference material, keeping it in his mind. When he encountered a suspect, he would recall the traces of the crime scene from his memory and compare them with the person in front of him. Then he would ask a few questions and he would know the truth.

Therefore, when Levi learned from Colente that he denied going backstage, he became instantly excited. Because according to footprint comparison, Colente's footprints were near the cut rope backstage, making him one of the suspects! And he actually denied going backstage?

Isn’t this the three hundred taels of silver that are missing here?
I almost jumped up and shouted, "Dissent Ali!"

Of course, Levi didn't do that. Instead, he asked Corent a few questions with a smile, as if the initial alibi was just a routine questioning. In the end, he made Corent sign a document to take responsibility for his words.

Then they dropped this time bomb.

In fact, there was no such person, but Li Wei's photographic memory allowed him to remember all the footprints and directions backstage. After identifying Colente, he only needed to retrieve Colente's footprints from his memory and compare them one by one to figure out what this person had done on stage.

When Li Wei asked him a question, Corent's expression suddenly tightened, then he moved his hands slightly, and then smiled again.

"Oh, I went backstage before I went to the restroom."

"When did that happen? What was the exact time?"

"Around...12 o'clock..."

"What are you doing there?"

"I'm chatting with someone..."

"with who?"

"This...is a staff member..."

"Staff? What are they responsible for? What's their name? Male or female?"

Li Wei listened to Corent's answer without caring at all, and calmly asked questions. He was not afraid that the other party was lying, because one lie requires a hundred lies to maintain, and as long as one lie is exposed, then everything will be over.

In fact, Colent had already fallen for the trap the moment he started answering Levi's question. If he had remained silent or simply said he couldn't remember or had forgotten, it would have been fine. But the problem was that Colent was clearly making it up on the spot; he instinctively wanted to explain away his backstage presence.

However, explanation is just a cover-up.

As Levi's questions became more detailed, Corente's answers took longer and longer until he finally stopped talking. Levi, however, simply smiled, watching Corente with an air of "I'm just watching your performance."

"…………………"

"Alright, Mr. Corent, tell me your motives."

Levi spoke again, no longer bothering to directly accuse him. In fact, he was now certain that Corent was the attacker, and as for the motive… well, Levi had a guess, and now it depended on whether Corent would give him the time of day.

What do you think my motives are?

Corent sighed and spoke quietly.

"I can guess a little from your personality and behavior."

Li Wei looked at the book "The Mask" placed next to the table.

"You don't want to perform 'Moonlight Flower,' you want to perform 'The Mask,' right? That's why you're targeting Mr. Mobis. As long as he can't perform, and there's still a week until the premiere, and you can't find a suitable replacement, the best way is to perform according to the original story... right?"

"Truly worthy of being called a famous detective."

Upon hearing Li Wei's answer, Corente's eyes widened slightly as he looked at him.

"How did you know?"

"A little bit of reasoning."

Li Wei shrugged.

“I asked Miss Joan before what would happen to the play if Mr. Mobis couldn’t perform, and this is what Miss Joan answered me. Since the script of ‘Moonlight Flower’ was originally based on ‘Masquerade’, and since Mobis couldn’t perform and a suitable replacement couldn’t be found in a short time, the entire plot had to be rewritten. But this wasn’t a big problem for the other actors, but it was different for you, who played Otto. After all, it meant that you had to memorize the lines of two people and perform the scenes of two people… and then I came across this novel.”

Li Wei pointed to the book "Mask" on the table.

"Clearly, you were prepared for this."

"…………"

Corent closed his eyes, sighed, and then opened them again.

"I am a fan of Miss Matilda's books."

“Oh…” “I really love the novel ‘Mask’, especially Otto’s emotional experiences. His denial, arrogance and pain deeply fascinated me. When I was reading the novel, I thought that if one day I could play Otto, it would definitely become a milestone in my acting career! So when I first learned that ‘Mask’ was being adapted into a play and performed by our troupe, I was really looking forward to it.”

"…………………"

"However, when I received the script, I was greatly disappointed! Otto, who was originally a complex and multifaceted character, was completely transformed into a mere tool! A tool used to highlight the female lead! This is not the Otto I hoped to see at all! He is just a meaningless supporting character!"

"Can't you report this to the regimental commander?"

Levi asked his question out of curiosity, while Corent shook his head.

"The director has complete authority over the script. We can only act according to his instructions, and at most, we can only influence the performance of the characters' psychological structure. We are just actors and have no right to criticize the script. Only Miss Matilda has the right to express her opinions on the script, but she has never been to the theater."

Sending someone with social anxiety to such a crowded place is tantamount to taking her life.

That makes sense, though. If an actor told a director, "I think this character shouldn't be played this way but that way," the director wouldn't listen to him.

Otherwise, if every actor said that, then filming would be impossible.

but……………

"You don't have to act, do you?"

“You don’t understand, Sir Levy.”

Corent shook his head.

"I'm a fan of Matilda's books, and I can't bear to see her novel 'The Mask' turned into such a mess! I think this must not have been Matilda's intention either! So, I want to do my part to ensure that 'Moonlight Flower' respects the original work as much as possible!"

A book fan? Could it be the kind of number one book fan who ties an author to the bed, breaks their legs, and forces them to write a novel?
Levy's reaction is understandable. Many modern novels and comics have been adapted into movies and TV shows, and the audience is furious, saying that what is this garbage? It has nothing to do with the original work. It is utter rubbish. They wish they could grind the screenwriter and director to dust.

However, most people just talk about it; the few who actually send razor blades are considered to have taken real action.

This guy is way more impressive; he directly forced the commander to rewrite the script…

"So, your plan is to take action against Mobis a week before the performance?"

"Yes, I even sent him a warning letter, otherwise, if he just thought it was an accident, my plan would be wasted. Fortunately, that kid has always been neurotic, which was exactly what I expected."

That's true; he was practically crying and calling for his father in the hospital room.

"Have you ever thought about what would happen if Mobis actually got killed by you?"

"...There's nothing we can do. He's not the only genius in the world."

I guess so.

Mobis himself had a high opinion of himself, but did others think he was unique?

At least Corent doesn't think so.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Corent."

Li Wei stood up and nodded to Kolent.

"Then I shall take my leave."

"etc……………"

Colent was quite surprised to see that Li Wei was about to leave.

"Aren't you going to arrest me?"

“I’m a detective, not a police officer. Besides, this is an internal dispute within your troupe. I can tell the troupe leader about it. Whether you’re willing to turn yourself in is your own business and has nothing to do with me.”

Li Wei genuinely doesn't care about this. As he said, he's a detective, not a policeman, and he doesn't have to arrest someone just because they broke the law.

Regarding Corent's motivation, Levy can only say that different novels attract different readers, a truly consistent phenomenon.

At the same time, Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, it wasn't Otto himself who jumped out of the script to kill people; it was just a fanatical book fan's rebellion. This meant the case still belonged to the real world, not the mystical realm. Now that the culprit had been found, then… he was no longer involved.

If the protagonist from Matilda's novels were to enter reality, that would be a big deal. But right now... it's just an ordinary case.

That's all right now, everyone can go about their business.

Strictly speaking, this case isn't completely settled yet, as the evidence is insufficient. Ideally, they should find the knife that cut the rope and then find Corent's fingerprints on both the rope and the knife. Even though he's pleaded guilty now, even if Levi arrests him, he might recant his confession in court.

However, Corent didn't seem to intend to completely hide it. At least after he realized he couldn't hide it anymore, he decisively confessed to Levi.

"…………………"

After hearing what Li Wei said, Corent was speechless for a moment, then he stood up.

"Let me go with you to see the commander."

(End of this chapter)